


Hands

by sayoko



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Based on a Tumblr Post, First Kiss, M/M, Oneshot, also an attempt of fluff, blushy Illu, can you accidentally date someone?, don't think i managed to get there but welp!, hanging out vs dating, hisoillu, um...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-03
Updated: 2016-06-03
Packaged: 2018-07-11 19:03:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7066297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sayoko/pseuds/sayoko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>“Wait! Good job! ♠”</i>
</p><p> </p><p>  <i>Hisoka raised his hand in a high five and Illumi stared at it. What the hell, it had been a good day. Why not? He raised his hand to return the gesture and-</i></p><p> </p><p>  <i>Hisoka could see Illumi’s eyes widening in terror as he realised, almost instantly after their hands met, that he had made a big mistake: their hands were glued together with Bungee Gum. </i></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A gift! Inspired by <a href="http://goshdernitken.tumblr.com/post/140953186893/hisoka-covers-his-hand-in-bungee-gum-then-gives">this post</a>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hands

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ohgoshohno](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ohgoshohno/gifts).



> Aaaaah~ This is also like that post that says "Can you accidentally date someone?". Heh, yeah, it applies.~
> 
> Ah! The time setting is way before the Hunter's Exam -u-  
> Also I tried to include the card suits at the end of Hisoka's dialogue, just as it is in the manga. ~~Oh boi was it a pain in the ass.~~  
>  That's it! Bye!

Illumi took a deep breath as he counted the bodies on the floor.

“Ok, I think it’s all of them,” said the Zoldyck after he confirmed the amount was correct. “We are done.”

Hisoka was standing next to him with his arms crossed. He examined the face of the assassin; his lips were almost curling into a smile.

“Really? That was fast ♠”

“Yes.” Illumi looked around. He was impressed, not by the body count, but for the speed and precision with which they had completed the task. It was almost like working with a member of his family. “It was…”

“We make a good team. ♥”

Illumi didn’t reply, but he was clearly smiling now. That was exactly what he was thinking. “Let’s go.”

“Wait! Good job! ♠”

Hisoka raised his hand in a high five and Illumi stared at it. What the hell, it had been a good day. Why not? He raised his hand to return the gesture and-

Hisoka could see Illumi’s eyes widening in terror as he realised, almost instantly after their hands met, that he had made a big mistake: their hands were glued together with Bungee Gum. He couldn’t let himself enjoy this expression any longer; the assassin’s free hand was dangerously close to his chest, and dangerously sharp. He caught it. Next thing he knew, Illumi was shoving him down to the floor.

“SORRY” The magician managed to yell before his back hit the ground and a knee pinned him down firmly, pressing his stomach hard enough to leave him breathless for a moment.

“Let me go.”

The jester was well aware that Illumi could react negatively to the prank, but he figured it would not be a big deal. Illumi did not want to fight him and this act was not enough to get the assassin to change his mind. Hisoka looked at the face of the man holding him down and had to gather all of his self-control to hide his amusement. Illumi was furious.

“Please, Illumi, listen to me. ♣” The magician said with the most serious face he could fake.

“Speak.”

“…It was a prank. ♥” Hisoka had to purse his lips to avoid adding that it was just a prank that _had_ _gotten out of hand_.

Illumi’s brows twitched slightly. “Well, no one's laughing, so it failed. Unglue us.”

“...I can’t. ♣”

The Zoldyck frowned and pressed harder against the magician’s ribs. “Hisoka, I’m not playing.”

“Hey, Illumi… Look at me.” Hisoka fixed his eyes to the unblinking eyes of his associate. “Relax. There’s no way I could attack you now,” he said in a soothing voice and relaxed his own body against the floor. “It was just an innocent prank. I didn’t think it through and now you’re mad and I’m sorry but I can’t let you go when you are like this. You’ll probably try to attack me and I’m clearly at disadvantage here. Then again, if you want to fight for real, even as we are now, I won’t say no to you. ♦”

“I don’t want to fight.” He answered immediately.

“Yeah, I imagined. ♥”

The assassin remained silent for a moment. “Why did you do this? Why did you expect to gain with this ‘prank’?”

“Well, I thought it would be funny to surprise you, but to be honest I never thought you would get so spooked. ♠”

Illumi glared at the man smiling under him. That sounded both as a lie and as something he would do.

“…And well, about your other hand, I couldn’t just stand still while you attacked me, could I? ♥” Cooed the magician.

Illumi inhaled deeply without taking his eyes out of him. The only certainty he had was that Hisoka was at disadvantage; that didn’t happen in Illumi’s idea of how a fight could unfold between them.

“Ok… I’m calm. Undo this.”

“Calm, yeah sure.” Hisoka scoffed. “If you want me to believe you, at least you could let me get up. ♥”

Illumi squinted. “No. Not until you release me.”

The magician laughed and Illumi tried really hard to maintain his face expressionless as he started to feel under his leg just how much the situation was entertaining Hisoka.

“You see? You still want to kill me, so, guess we’ll just have to remain stuck for a while. ♠”

The assassin looked at his trapped hands. One was completely stuck, but the other… Hisoka was only holding his wrist. Maybe if he leant forward to it and was agile enough he could grab a needle from his chest and-

The grip on his wrist got tighter and Illumi looked up again. The smirk on the magician’s face let him know that his plan was not going to work.

“You are making this more difficult than it has to be. Let me get up and I promise I’ll release you. ♠”

Illumi sighed in defeat. “Fine…”

The assassin had to shift so awkwardly to get off from him that Hisoka regretted not leaving someone alive to see his struggle. Once back on their feet, Illumi frowned as he realized that Hisoka had not released his Bungee Gum.

“What are you waiting for?”

“The magic word~♥” Hisoka smiled smugly.

The Zoldyck clenched his teeth so tightly that Hisoka could hear their grit.

“Alright alriight~ ♦” Finally, Hisoka detached their hands.

“Thank you. I’ll deposit your part of the payment to your account later today. Goodbye.”

“Uh? You are leaving? ...You are not leaving because you are angry, are you? ♠”

Illumi only squinted at him as a response.

“Oh, come on, Illumi. Can’t you take a joke? ♦”

Illumi’s eyes were now a thin line firing pure resentment.

“Ok ok! I’m sorry...  Ah! I know, let me invite you dinner as an apology. ♣”

Although Illumi kept squinting, Hisoka could tell there was also interest behind those inky eyes now.

“We can go anywhere you want. What do you say? ♥”

“…Anywhere I want?”

“Anywhere you want. ♠”

After a pause, the Zoldyck turned away and answered, “No, thank you.”

It was Hisoka who squinted now. “You are being overly dramatic. ♦”

“Me?” The hitman blinked three times as he tried to find the most casual thing he could say. “I am totally chill.”

Hisoka raised a single brow. “Prove it then. Let’s have dinner. ♠”

Illumi took his time before answering again. “Fine, sure, whatever… You pay.”

“Of course. Where are we going? ♦”

“…I want to go to Le Rêve.”

“Very well, let’s go. ♥”

“Uh?”

“Uh? ♦”

“…You are not suggesting we go like this?”

Hisoka looked down at their clothes. He was right, they were dirty.

“Besides, you have to call first to make a reservation.”

“Ah, you’re right. I’ll call then. What time should I make the reservation for? ♥”

“8 pm. Also, I want a table by the window.”

“By the window, noted. ♠”

“Good… I’ll see you there at 8 pm then.” 

“That place is kind of popular so I’m not sure- ”

“8 o’clock or nothing.” Illumi interrupted.

Hisoka raised both hands in the air and lowered his head. “Okay~ I’ll see you there at 8 pm. ♠”

 

* * *

 

 

When Hisoka arrived, Illumi was already waiting at the table. His pitch black eyes scanned him from head to toe.

“Sorry I’m late. I had trouble finding a cab. ♥”

Illumi examined the magician carefully. He was confused. He had mentioned before that their normal clothes were not fit for the place; yet there was Hisoka, still wearing his signature ornate outfit. The redhead did seem to have something different, though. It took Illumi a couple of seconds to realize that the difference was the colour of the outfit. Hisoka had indeed changed, but only to a suit of a different shade. Why? Was it a fashion statement? Did he not own casual clothes? Could it be that the magician’s closet was filled with nothing but crop tops and arm bands? _Whatever,_ _at least he changed_. The Zoldyck decided to address the next and most important issue. He turned his face to the people sitting by the window and watched them through slanted eyes.

“I thought I asked you for a table by the window.”

“I know, but, as I tried to tell you, this place is always full so in order to get us a table at the time you were so specific about, I had to be flexible about that other detail. ♦”

Illumi didn’t answer. He kept looking at the people as if by staring at them with enough intent would force them to leave early.

“Ah!” The assassin looked at Hisoka with his eyes wide as saucers. “I can get us one of those tables.”

Hisoka blinked twice before realizing what the Zoldyck meant. “Are you for real? ♠”

“Yes, I like the view. It’s the main reason I chose this place. I want that table.”

It was a bit excessive, but the magician could not deny that he found the determination of the Zoldyck to get that specific spot entertaining. “Go ahead then. ♦” Besides, he was no one to question the morality of his idea.

No one inside the restaurant noticed the pins on the back of the head of the couple as they stood up and suddenly started racing towards the exit, leaving their plates half-eaten. The maître d'hôtel yelled and a guard started running behind the fugitive couple. The buzzing of the rest of the customers commenting the weird incident was louder than the piano playing in the background. A man with long black hair raised his hand and a waitress went immediately to his side.

“Excuse me, would you be so kind to move us to that table? I don’t think that couple is going to come back.”

 

 

Even though the view from the 20th floor was beautiful, Hisoka was not sure he would have gone through so much trouble for it. Illumi, however, was completely pleased with his new seat. All his previous discontent had been completely washed away, and now he was absorbed by the way the lights from the tall buildings twinkled against the darkening sky.

Hisoka observed Illumi through the corner of his eye. He wanted to see if it would happen again, the ‘change’. Last (and first) time he and Illumi had gone out for food together, he had witnessed an unbelievable change in the Zoldyck: he relaxed. Of course, they had not known each other for a while, but it was impossible not to notice. His whole body language had changed. Instead of his usual rigid stance, Illumi leaned on the table, hunched, played with his hands and hair; just like he was doing now. It was interesting. Illumi was completely calm and enraptured by the night lights. It seemed as if he had completely forgotten about the prank incident from before.

 _…Maybe it’s time for another_. Why not? Hisoka was in a good mood as well. He waited until the waitress had come back to take their orders.

“Have you made your selections?”

“Hmmm…  I’ll have a Coq Au Vin, and a watercress salad with blackberries and hazelnuts. ♠”

“Good choice, sir. Anything else?”

“No, just that. ♣”

“Would you like to order something to drink?”

“Hmm, a glass of strawberry-coconut cream soda. ♠”

The waitress nodded, memorizing the order. “And you, sir?”

“I will just have veal fillet with wild starberries sauce, and a glass of lemonade with basil.” Illumi said handing out his menu to the lady.

“Very well.” The lady tried to pull back the leather-wrapped menu, but the long-haired man was still firmly holding it. “Oh, I’m sorry. Would you like to order something else?”

A quick scan revealed the hot pink aura attaching Illumi’s fingers to the back cover of the almost-a-book menu. Illumi threw a blazing glare at Hisoka. The man was looking at him with a fox-like grin, with both elbows on the table and his head resting on the back of his hands. The mercenary recomposed himself and looked back at the waitress. Two could play this game.  

“Actually, I do.”

The waitress released the menu and Illumi rapidly skimmed through it.

“I want to add an entrée of Oysters Rockefeller, a Jardin de Rêve salad, a plate of Silver Venison steak with Sauce de Rêve aaand… a bottle of Château Montrose, vintage 1999.”

Hisoka looked up the dishes on his own menu and swallowed; as he suspected, each of them were the most expensive of their sections.

“Should I go on?” Illumi asked in an innocent voice.

“No, I think we’ll be fine with that. ♦” The redhead answered defeated and handed his own menu to the waitress. Once she was gone, he continued. “All of that is going to cost me almost as much as you paid me for today’s job. ♠”

“Yup,” answered the assassin, his lips curling into a tiny smile. “I know.”

“Such a petty act. ♣”

“Petty?” The Zoldyck tilted his head and answered in a playful tone. “It was a joke. Can’t you take a joke?”

Hisoka grinned at his own words being used against him. “Yeah, but that was a little excessive. You could have just ordered the 200000 jenny wine and I would have understood perfectly. ♥”

Illumi’s smile grew wider and he rested his chin on a hand. He knew Hisoka did not mind about money as much as he was complaining, but it was fun to see him pretend to be offended. “We can still cancel those last orders.”

 

“And cause trouble to the cook? That would be rude. Besides, I’m kind of curious about the wine. 200000 jenny the bottle? It must be really good. I deserve good. I’m going to treat myself... Because we are sharing that, aren’t we? ♥”

Illumi nodded three times, the tiny smile fixed on his face. There was a moment of silence after this in which Illumi kept staring at Hisoka suspiciously happy.

“Hey… Do you want to hear something funny?”

Hisoka side eyed him distrustfully. “…I’m not sure we have the same definition of ‘funny’. What is it about? ♣”

Illumi looked down and started drawing circles with a finger on the silky tablecloth. “It’s just something I learnt once on a trip. I thought it would be a good topic for conversation.”

“Ok, go on…♦”         

“In some cultures, after the farmers are done harvesting the grapes, the people get together and chew the grapes, spit the result on a glass, then pass the glass to the next person to repeat the process and so on. That’s how they make it!”

Hisoka frowned but did not reply.

“They ferment the wine in their mouths with their saliva.” Illumi explained after not getting the grossed out reaction he expected.

“Yeah, I got that, it’s just… Well…♥”

Now it was actually Illumi who was close to making the grossed out face. “…Don’t tell me you would drink it.”

“I didn’t say that. I mean, I don’t think I would drink something made by who knows who of who knows where…♠”

Illumi was waiting for him to continue, lips parted in a slight grimace, eyes a thin line fixed on the redhead.

“But… Maybe if it was made by someone I knew…♣”

“What?”

“I don’t know. I’m just saying that if you ever decided to make spit-wine, I’d drink it. ♥”

“What-? Why would I-?”

Hisoka shrugged “Look, you brought up the topic. I’m just being honest. Your turn now, would you drink spit-wine? ♠”

Illumi’s pursed lips twitched. He had lied. The drink was not even made with grapes, it was made with wheat. He had also omitted the part where it was only a small group of women who chewed the grains and the part where, after they did that, the liquid was boiled and left to rest. It wasn’t really like drinking fresh saliva and grape juice. Boiling the drink eliminated all bacteria, so Illumi was actually fairly ok with it. He just changed the story to try to gross out Hisoka. Why? He wasn’t sure; perhap spending so much time with the magician was affecting him, his childishness bleeding into him. For this same reason, he couldn’t come clean. Admitting that the story was not exactly like that was admitting defeat. And he was not, not today.

“No. That’s highly unsanitary. Also please stop calling it that.”

“Fine. Second question. What if I had made it? ♥”

“I don’t see the point of discussing an event so impossible to happen as that one.”

“Don’t be boring, it’s just a hypothetical question. ♠”

Illumi leaned back on his chair and straightened his back. He casually looked away and shrugged a single shoulder in feigned coolness. “Yeah, why not? I wouldn’t mind.”

“You wouldn’t mind? ♣”

The mercenary shook his head with a pout.

“I see…♥”

Both men went silent again. Hisoka waited until Illumi looked back again at the nocturnal scenery to sneakily slide a hand over the table in direction to Illumi’s wine glass. Before he could reach it, his hand was stopped by a knife that perforated the wooden table, right in front of it.

“What are you trying to do?” He hissed.

“You said you wouldn’t mind. ♣”

Illumi opened his eyes and let his jaw drop. “Were you going to spit in my glass?!” One thing was to be okay with the preparation of the traditional drink, but having someone spit in your glass, in a _fancy restaurant_ , was something completely different.

“I’m joking!” The magician gestured him to lower his volume. “I’m sorry. You are just so easy to tease, I can’t help it. ♥”

Illumi huffed. At least this opened a chance to cut off the jokes. “Ok… Let’s make a truce. No more jokes or pranks, for neither of us, at least for the rest the day. Deal?”

“Deal~ ♥”

“Thank you.” Illumi let his shoulders drop and melted on his chair relieved.

 

* * *

 

 

Hisoka kept his word and Illumi could enjoy his luxurious meal without unpleasant interruptions. Every dish had been perfectly cooked and, although at the beginning it seemed to be too much for two, at the end they even decided to try the deserts. The wine had not been anything otherworldly, but in order not to think of the hundreds of jennys spent on it, they did not comment on this.

When they left the building, the sky was completely dark and a cold breeze ran across the street. Illumi put on the grey jacket he had brought with him.

“Aren’t you cold?” Illumi asked.

“Hm? Not really. ♦”

It was a silly question. Both men were able to stand far worse climatic conditions and the chilly breeze was nothing against Hisoka’s determination to wear his signature outfit everywhere. Illumi, on the other hand, had no intention of having to bear with unnecessary discomforts, so he buttoned up his jacket right to the top.

And so their meeting was, apparently, over. Hisoka stood with his arms crossed, waiting for the next cab.

“…Do you have to go somewhere now?” Illumi asked abruptly.

Hisoka turned around to face him. “No. ♥”

“Do you mind if we walk?”

“Walk? ♣”

Illumi nodded as response.

“Where to? Your hotel? ♠ ”

“No. Just walk…” Illumi shrugged shortly and looked to the side. “I don’t really have anything else to do and my blimp back home doesn’t leave until tomorrow morning.”

Hisoka hummed. He wasn’t really interested in going for a walk, to be frank. He examined his companion’s face. It was funny, the assassin could appear unreadable at first, but Hisoka discovered that it was not completely so, you just had to be very observant. Illumi was staring at him with his head slightly tilted down, his thin brows in an almost inappreciable frown, and the corner of his lips faintly curling down; not only was he waiting for an answer, he was also waiting for a positive one. No, Hisoka didn’t want to go on a walk, but it wasn’t a big sacrifice either. Besides, he still wanted to fight Illumi someday. Keeping him close could actually be helpful to find a perfect chance for that. And, to add a final pro to the list, Illumi could actually be quite fun to be around, providing he was in a good mood.

“I think I saw a Ferris wheel nearby, from the restaurant. ♠”

A faint hint of light passed through the assassin’s eyes. “Yeah, I saw it too. It was that way. Do you want to check it out?”

Hisoka smiled softly. “That’d be fun. ♥”

Illumi reciprocated the smile and started walking. The magician followed a few steps behind. They stopped in front of a red light and Illumi looked attentively both ways of the street. It was cute, Hisoka thought, like a tiny animal making sure there were no threats around, even though in reality, instead of a tiny animal Illumi was a very big, very powerful predator. It was too funny. Suddenly, the jester had a marvellous idea.

“Wait! ♠” Hisoka stood next to Illumi and swiftly held his hand.

Illumi clenched his jaw and slowly turned his head towards him. He had had his hand surrounded by the pink nen of the redhead enough times that day to recognize the feeling. His annoyance was such that his aura made the air around him ripple and frizz his hair. _It’s just a joke it’s just a joke it’s just a joke_ , he repeated to himself to calm down, even though his brain had already given him a list of reasons why this was extremely dangerous and not ok and how he should just chop the redhead’s hand off.

“Please don’t tell me we are glued again.”

The magician’s smirk was full of mischief.

“We had a truce.”

“Oh, but this is not a prank, it’s a challenge. ♣”

Illumi raised his eyebrows as high as he could. “A challenge?”

“Yes, let’s walk around like this. I bet you you'll start begging me to let you go before we reach the wheel. ♣”

The raven eyes were scorching him. Four, five, six, seven seconds passed and no response, not even a blink. _Ah, maybe I crossed the line_. Hisoka released his nen and let go of the pale hand. He did not know Illumi that much yet, but it was clear that he was not a fan of personal space invasion, especially when it involved Hisoka. He wanted to tease him, but he didn’t want to inconvenience him that much that the Zoldyck would change his mind and leave.

“Well, I understand if it’s too much for you. People are usually overwhelmed by my mere presence, holding my hand must be even more intimidating. ♥”

Hisoka felt his hand quickly being grabbed again.

“Don’t be ridiculous. What are we betting?”

“Ah, it was just a matter of speech, but if you really want to bet, pick some kind of penitence. I don’t know if you remember but I don’t have much money left. ♣”

“Your assistance, then. If you lose, you’ll have to assist me on the next big mission I get. And by big I really mean it. I’m talking twice to triple the targets we had today. Also, I won’t pay you.”

“So, like, a favour? ♠”

“A compulsory favour.”

“Very well, and if I win? ♥”

Illumi cocked his head. “Just don’t ask for something that I can’t obviously give you.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll ask for the same: your assistance next time I’m in trouble. A compulsory favour. ♥”

“Deal. Let’s go.”

The light turned green again and Illumi started walking. He had not taken more than two steps when he felt himself tugged back. Hisoka was not advancing.

“What’s the rush? ♠”

“…None.” Illumi closed his eyes in faked serenity. He wanted the challenge to be over as soon as possible, but he was not going to give Hisoka the satisfaction of seeing him altered. “Sorry, I’m used to taking long steps.”

There were not many people on the streets so Hisoka, with his fiery hair and colourful makeup and clothing, stood out more than usual. He did not mind the passers-by staring at them, he was used to it. Illumi did not even notice them. He kept his head looking straight to the front like a horse with blinkers. They passed the first block, then the second, and Illumi still refused to directly look at or talk to Hisoka. The assassin peeked at the man beside him out of the corner of his eye. He was smiling as usual, but had not made any attempt to talk to him either and Illumi had to admit that he was thankful for that. It probably didn’t show, but he was actually nervous, very nervous. His heart was pounding in his chest, heavy and refusing to calm down despite the assassin’s steady breathing. Illumi figured it was normal. He was doing the equivalent of walking next to a tiger. It was normal for him to be nervous. The assassin’s heart skipped a beat when he felt the magician softly interweaving his fingers with his. It was normal for his heart to be racing now, and it was normal for his cheeks to be burning as well.

A couple of streets later, Hisoka finally spoke. “So, you really like heights. ♣”

“Uh?”

“Well, first the restaurant, now you want to ride the Ferris wheel…♥”

Illumi turned around to the redhead. “I didn’t say I wanted to get on that thing.”

“Eh? Then why are we going? ♦”

“I just wanted to see it up close.” Illumi lowered his head and looked up to him with a mocking smirk. “Did you really think I wanted to ride that thing with you?”

Hisoka widened his eyes, the question was sharp as a knife. “Why not? We’re friends. ♠”

“We’re not friends.”

The redhead frowned. The Zoldyck had a nerve to say this. Even though their friendship was clearly not conventional, they were not mere acquaintances either. Even more, although it could be hard to believe, truth was that it was the assassin who usually started conversation with the magician, who arranged meetings, who had asked him not long ago to go on a walk with him and was now holding his hand because of a childish dare.

“Ah, right! You don’t have friends. I forgot. ♣” It was all he said anyway.

Illumi hummed in affirmation. “Besides, aren’t Ferris wheels for couples?”

“Mmm, well, they are very popular amongst them, but many people also go with friends or family. ♦”

“I see.”

There was a pause. “Illumi, have you ever ridden a Ferris wheel? ♠”

“Nope.”

 “…So you haven’t, but don’t want to either? ♥” Hisoka asked confused.

“Yeah... I mean, they are pretty to look at, but beyond that they don't make much sense. Basically, you are stuck in a capsule that goes round and round for I don’t know how long. Ah! Also I think that at some point they stop the wheel? They leave you trapped in a tiny capsule hanging meters from the ground? How is that supposed to be fun?”

Hisoka huffed a laugh. “Of course it sounds strange if you say it like that. I think you should try-”

The magician was interrupted by a sudden need to sneeze. The night had gotten colder in the short span of time walking, and thick clouds were now covering the stars and moon.

“We can stop if you want.”

Hisoka sniffed. “What do you mean? ♣”

“You are cold. We can stop if you want, we don’t have to go to the Ferris wheel.”

“I’m fine. ♦”

“But you just-”

“Illumi, it was just a sneeze. We’re halfway there anyway. Also,” Hisoka raised their hands, “I’m not losing this challenge. ♦”

Illumi kept his face blank. “I’m not losing either.”

The mercenary turned his head to the front again. He had already shown more concern than required, if Hisoka wanted to go and wake up with a cold the next day it was his problem. The jester sneezed once more and tried to hide it with his free hand. _Not my problem_ , Illumi thought. Hisoka kept softly sniffing. Illumi breathed out and gave up to what he figured was just his protective brother instincts coming forth by putting their clasped hands inside his coat pocket.

“And this? ♥”

“You are cold.”

“And you pretend to fix that by warming up just my hand? ♠”

“You can let go if you want.”

Hisoka smiled broadly. “Nope~” Then he bumped Illumi’s arm with his own. “Thank you for worrying about me, though. ♥”

Illumi did not respond, he just kept looking forward.

“It’s really nice to have friends. ♣”

“I can still kill you with one hand.”

“I know.~ ♥”

 

* * *

 

 

The Ferris wheel was a structure that extended 50 meters to the sky and was decorated with countless purple, pink and teal lights. It did not seem to move, however. They asked the person inside the booth next to it, who informed them that he was just a guard and that the wheel was not operating that week due to reparations.

“See? It’s a sign. I’m not meant to get on one of these things.”

Hisoka pouted, after walking so long he was actually looking forward to it. No matter what Illumi said, he was sure he could have convinced him to get in a gondola.

“So what do we do now? ♠”

“First, you let go my hand. I won. ”

“Oh! I had forgotten about that. ♣”

Hisoka looked down at their hands, then up again without letting go. His grin was too smug for someone who had just lost a bet. Illumi tried moving his fingers.

“Ah!”

They were not stuck. They were holding hands but they were not stuck with the jester’s nen. Illumi pulled his hand back.

“Thank you. I will let you know next time I have a job for you.”

“You didn’t realize, did you? ♦” The magician paused until he got a questioning look from Illumi. “I actually released my Bungee Gum way before reaching this place. ♦”

Illumi blinked. He wasn’t going to ask, so he tried remembering anything that could pinpoint the exact moment of his unnoticed freedom. It had probably been right at the beginning. In order to intertwine fingers, Hisoka should have had to cancel his trap, at least momentarily. Or maybe he had done it before, or maybe his Bungee Gum did allow some movement if he desired to. Maybe the trickster was lying and he had not released his trap that long ago, but only moments after reaching the park where the wheel was located. He had no way of telling. “Who cares? Yeah, maybe I didn’t notice, but even if I had, I wouldn’t have backed down. I wasn’t enduring holding your hand because you were using your nen; I was doing it because it was a bet.”

Hisoka snickered. He was right; he probably wouldn’t have, but still, his reaction would have been very funny. Anyway, he decided to change the topic. “Oh! Is that cotton candy? ♥”

Despite how attractive the idea of continuing to tease Illumi was, he had already pushed his luck too many times in a single day. He wasn’t sure what the Zoldyck’s tolerance limit was yet, but if his cheeks had tinted pink for merely holding hands, maybe physical contact was beyond it.  Hisoka walked over to the small cotton candy vendor cart. Each piece was twice as big as the magician’s head and had the shape of a flower with the same colours of the lights from the Ferris wheel. He returned to Illumi’s side with only one fluffy flower.

“Hey, since the wheel is not working, let’s eat some candy at least, to justify the trip. ♠”

“I don’t like sweets that much.”

Hisoka pouted “I’m not telling you to eat the whole thing, just to try it. ♥”

“I’m fine, thanks.”

Hisoka lifted the sticky candy dangerously close to the assassin’s face and, most importantly, his hair. “C’mon~ Peck at it! Like a bird. ♥”

Illumi squinted at the enormous candy menacing to get stuck in his hair, then swiftly took a handful of it. Almost a third of the flower disappeared in his hand.

“That was not a peck. ♦”

“I’m a big bird.” He tried to stuff the sticky sweet in his mouth as gracefully as he could. “Let’s sit down, please?”

 

Despite being static, the Ferris wheel still attracted many people to the park. The colourful lights offered a lovely show and many couples wandered next to it or chatted seated at the benches nearby, just like Illumi and Hisoka.

“You know, all these couples are kind of dumb. I don’t know this city that well, but even I know that there are far more interesting places to visit than a non-operating Ferris wheel.”

Hisoka side eyed at him. He could have pointed out that it had been Illumi who had suggested going there in the first place, so maybe they should be counted along the dumb people, but that could sound too aggressive.

“Maybe they didn’t know it wasn’t functioning, or maybe they didn’t care. Visiting a park it’s a good option if you are tight on money. ♠”

“Ah, you got a point there… But still, why not just save and go to the movies or something like that? It’s cold and damp and it looks like it could start raining any time soon.”

Hisoka was staring at him straight deadpan now. If the weather bothered him that much, then they shouldn’t be there either. Was Illumi just talking for the sake of having a conversation or was he really unaware that they were in a pretty similar situation to that of the couples he was criticizing? Hisoka wasn’t sure.

“…Maybe they have already been to the movies, or maybe they don’t like them… Or, who knows, maybe they just don’t need that stuff. Maybe they are in love. You don't need much when you're in love, just each other's company. ♦”

Illumi fixed his impossibly big eyes on him and blinked, twice.

“What? ♥”

“Nothing, it’s just that I never expected to hear such mature yet corny answers from you.”

Although Hisoka could tell Illumi had not said this with ill-will, the brutal honesty still hurt.

“Thank you… I guess. ♦”

The assassin offered him a tiny, sincere smile. Then he rested an elbow on his legs and leant down to rest his chin on his hand as well. That was when Hisoka noticed something had fallen on his head.

“Illumi, stand still, there’s something in your hair. ♠”

“What is it?”

“I think it’s a bug. ♠” He lied. It was only a short dry twig, probably from the tree branches hovering above their bench.

“Oh, leave it. I don’t mind.”

Hisoka parted his lips to reply, but then realized that of course he wouldn’t mind bugs running free on his scalp, the man could sleep literally underground, he must be used to them. Still, the image of bugs crawling around his hair freely made him uncomfortable.

“Actually, it’s just a twig. I’ll take it out. ♥”

The magician passed the cotton candy to Illumi and carefully removed the twig from his tangled raven hair.

“Here it is. ♣”

He held it in front of the assassin’s blank face, then, with fast graceful movements, he made it disappear into thin air.

“Aaand… it’s gone! ♥”

Illumi had to cover his mouth with his hand to avoid laughing loudly. What was more risible? The fact that this grown-up killer had just done a magic trick for him or the fact that he had liked it? To be fair, it had reminded him of the coin tricks that Gotoh had performed for him and his brothers when they were still young and gullible. He looked up at the magician, he was sulking at his laugh. It was fun. He was fun. He had to admit that. Soon the pout on Hisoka’s face was replaced by his usual smile. Illumi had to admit that the man was very attractive too. He admired the magician’s features in silence, and gulped as he reached a decision.

“Hisoka, stand still, there’s something on your face.”

“What is it? ♣” The magician brushed his fingers across his face, trying to find anything strange.

Illumi breathed in and mustered up all his courage. It was not a good idea, but he wanted to, and he presumed that if he didn’t do it now, he would never find another appropriate moment again.

So he did it. He leant forward and planted a single, slow kiss on the thin lips of the redhead. He remained face to face with him for a second feeling his warm breath against his skin, then glided his thumb against the thin lips as if to delete what he had just done. “There… it’s gone.”

Silence followed and Illumi felt himself hit by a wave of regret. That had not only been a risky act, it had also probably sounded cheesy.

“I- I have to go.”

The words woke up Hisoka from his surprise, he could not leave like that, not after this. Before Illumi could get up, Hisoka cupped his face and pressed their lips together again. Illumi let the rest of the cotton candy flower fall to the gravel under them as he tried to push Hisoka away. It was futile; the magician’s hands were firmly secured with pink aura. Hisoka prepared himself to feel the piercing pain of a needle any time soon, but Illumi’s hands seemed to be too busy grabbing the collar of his lavender crop top to get on that.  So he continued, and when the assassin parted his lips Hisoka discovered that Illumi’s mouth tasted like cotton candy. Illumi shut his eyes and allowed himself to forget about everything else around them, to enjoy this moment until his common sense kicked in again and ordered him to stop. They continued. Hisoka’s nose was cold against Illumi’s skin. They continued. Illumi’s cheeks were burning under Hisoka’s hand. The Zoldyck dug his nails mercilessly into Hisoka’s shoulders, and he broke their kiss. They both gasped for fresh air.

They stared at each other. The Zoldyck kept silent, frozen in his seat, his face a book Hisoka could decipher this time. He swallowed. Had he crossed the line? Slowly, the magician released Illumi’s face. Was Illumi going to leave now that he was free? And if he did, would he ever see him again? The seconds dragged painfully slow.

Hisoka huffed as he felt the sharp nails unlatching from his shoulders. Instead of attacking him, they wandered up, up to the back of his head, where they grabbed fistfuls of red hair and pulled him close once more. Hisoka closed his eyes in relief and welcomed the candy sweetness of Illumi into him. It had been a good day.


End file.
